A Key Ambassador is a person of recognized experience or accomplishment in ministry or a disability-related field who voluntarily partners with Key Ministry to advance our mission of providing knowledge, innovation and experience to the worldwide church as it ministers to and with families of children with mental illness, trauma and developmental disabilities.

Key Ambassadors are called to use their platforms to advocate for the cause of enhancing inclusion of children and youth impacted by mental illness, trauma and developmental disabilities and their families in the local church. Their advocacy may include, but is not limited to:

Speaking at regional, national or international conferences attended by ministry leaders or leaders in other disability-related fields.

Authorship of traditional and/or electronic books

Speaking at Key Ministry-sponsored conferences and trainings.

Developing content for Key Ministry websites and social media platforms.

Appearances on local, regional and national broadcast media.

Authorship of articles in magazines and newspapers.

Responsibilities of Ambassadors:

Key Ambassadors pledge to publicly identify with the mission of Key Ministry, and acknowledge the contribution of Key Ministry when provided assistance with presentations and/or content development by Key Ministry employees, consultants, Board members or volunteers.

Key Ambassadors pledge to develop/present content for Key Ministry sponsored training events or websites on no less than an annual basis.

Key Ambassadors pledge to promote Key Ministry resources and events through their personal and (when appropriate) organizational social media platforms.

Key Ambassadors agree to represent a standard of conduct that should be above reproach at all times and endeavor to be a model of Christian deportment. The nature and work of Key Ministry causes us to operate under a spotlight of public recognition, prominence and scrutiny in both Christian and secular communities.

Current Ambassadors:

Jolene Philo: Jolene’s first book, A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children was released by Discovery House Publishers in September of 2009. Since then, she’s authored Different Dream Parenting: Raising a Child with Special Needs, The Caregiver’s Notebook, Every Child Welcome (with Katie Wetherbee) and Does My Child Have PTSD? Her parenting articles, cooking articles, and devotions have been published in publications including Focus on the Family, ParentLife and Home Cooking, and Jolene has guest blogged for Key Ministry and presented at all three of our Inclusion Fusion Disability Ministry Web Summits.

Jolene speaks nationally at parenting conferences, writing workshops, and church events. Before starting a freelance writing and speaking career in 2003, Jolene taught school for twenty-five years. Her undergraduate degree was in elementary education with a minor in learning disabilities, and she holds a Master of Science degree in effective teaching. Jolene and her husband (Hiram) live in Boone, Iowa. They enjoy visiting their two adult children and then returning home to their empty nest.

Interested in becoming a Key Ambassador? Have gifts and talents to contribute to our ministry? Tell us a little about yourself, and someone from our leadership team will be in touch shortly.